North America

The Consumer Rights Ministry announced on Monday that Spain fined Airbnb 64 million Euros ($75 million) for advertising unlicensed rental homes. Spain's leftist Government, along with city councils and some regional authorities, have been crackingdown on tourism rentals using sites such as Airbnb.com and Booking.com. Many in?Spain accuse these sites of creating excessive tourism and driving housing costs up by limiting the supply. Airbnb did not respond immediately to a request for comment after it'removed 65,000 listings in July that were deemed by the Ministry as violating its rules. The fine is a judicial penalty that can be appealed. The...

The Federal Aviation Administration reported that a United Airlines flight bound for Tokyo had to'return' to Dulles International Airport, in northern Virginia, on Saturday afternoon due an engine failure. United's spokesperson stated that the flight landed soon after takeoff because of the loss of power in one engine. The spokesperson reported that there were no injuries among the 275 passengers on board and the 15 crew. Social media X posted photos and videos of smoke?billowing near the runway. Dulles is the nearest international airport to Washington, D.C., located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) away. The FAA announced that it would...

A U.S. bankruptcy court judge approved Azul’s debt restructuring on Friday, allowing it to reduce more than $2 billion of debt and raise capital via a new equity right offering and investment from American Airlines and?United?Airlines. At a hearing in White Plains (New York), U.S. Bankruptcy judge Sean Lane approved Azul’s?bankruptcy plans. Azul filed Chapter '11 bankruptcy in New York, in May. Its goal was to reduce its debts and to make its business more resistant to market challenges such as fluctuations in fuel prices and currency exchange rate. The bankruptcy plan of the company converts much of its existing...

Southwest Airlines announced on Friday that it will open a "crew base" at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in March 2026. This move is part of the carrier's efforts to expand into central Texas, which is experiencing rapid growth. The airline said that the majority of the new Austin base's staff would be made up of captains, flight attendants and first officers, supported by administrative and leadership teams. Southwest plans to also add a training facility that will be used for a regular basis by flight attendants as part of its broader business transformation. The carrier expects to open the Austin base...

U.S. Transportation Department threatened on Friday to 'pull $73million in funding from New York State over commercial driver licences improperly issued?to non U.S. citizens. This is the latest of a series Trump administration 'threats?aimed at Democratic run states. After a federal audit, the department warned that New York State must act within 30 days to address concerns regarding immigrant truckers or risk losing federal highway funding. In September, the agency issued an emergency rule to severely restrict commercial drivers licenses for immigrants and non-U.S. Citizens after a fatal crash in Florida. U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio announced in August that the...

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON DEC 12 - U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Friday that he would not allow military helicopters or commercial passenger planes?to come?into close proximity near Reagan Washington National Airport. This is despite a bill before Congress which some critics claim could cause unsafe traffic. The crash of an Army Black Hawk on January 29, near Reagan, between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk killed 67 people. It also raised concerns about aviation safety. We will not allow fixed-wing or helicopter traffic to cross that airspace. Duffy told a press briefing that...

Nearly a year after President Donald Trump took office, European tourists are flocking to less-heralded and more affordable destinations in the U.S., like Tennessee, Montana, and Idaho. They're skipping popular spots like New York, Washington D.C. While tourism from 'Western Europe' to the United States is down, other destinations are seeing an increase in visitors as they seek out a 'classic Americana experience, and airlines have added flights to smaller cities. As Trump escalated a trade conflict and at times criticized Europe harshly, many travelers cancelled trips to the United States in spring. According to the U.S. National Travel and...

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON DEC 12 - On Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced that it would review Boeing's enhanced flight crew alerting systems for the Boeing 737 MAX 10. These include a synthetic improved angle-of attack?system as well as a way to turn off stall warnings and overspeed alarms. Congress waived a December 2022 deadline for a new standard of safety for modern cockpit alerts on the MAX 7 or MAX 10. However, it required retrofitting the planes with future enhancements in the three years following the MAX 10 certification. Congress adopted the requirements as part of an...

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said on Thursday that the Boeing 737 MAX 7 is expected to be certified around August 2026. The U.S. airline will then'start flying' the small single-aisle aircraft during the first quarter in 2027. Jordan, speaking at an event hosted by the Wings Club of New York City, said that "Boeing had said about mid-summer." "I'd guess that it will be?certified in August 2026." Jordan told analysts he expects the certification of Boeing’s smallest MAX Jet sometime in the first half 2026. The aircraft could enter service by the end of the next quarter. Southwest does...

Cruz-Cantwell Bill proposes stricter safety requirements The Defense Bill allows the Transportation Secretary to grant waivers Families of crash victims demand visibility standards that are enforceable By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Dec 11 - U.S. lawmakers urged on Thursday to strengthen military heli safety rules in an annual defense bill following the fatal crash of an Army Black Hawk with an American Airlines passenger?jet, which killed 67 people. Ted Cruz, Republican chair of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, and Maria Cantwell (top Democrat) filed a joint amendment on Thursday to remove the military helicopter clause from the defense bill, and replace...

Google, owned by Alphabet, is likely to face a fine from EU antitrust regulators in the coming year because it has not done enough to adhere to EU rules that prohibit favouring its own products and services when displaying search results. The United States will be furious at a penalty against Google. They have criticized a number of landmark EU laws for being aimed at U.S. technology companies, despite EU denials. In March, the European Commission charged Google with favoring its own products such as "Google Shopping", "Google Hotels" and "Google Flights" over those of competitors. Google is pitted against...

A?U.S. A?U.S. travel association, a leading Democrat and potential travelers from Europe, Australia and elsewhere are displeased with President?Donald Trump’s new plan that requires Europeans and others using the visa waiver to?provide their social media handles over the last five years. This change was announced by the U.S. Government this week, and will take effect on February 8. Travelers from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program would be required to submit their social media data. Since 2019, applicants for non-immigrant and immigrant visas are required to provide this information. The Trump administration took a number of steps to improve...

Local authorities reported that at least eight people died after a fuel tanker exploded in Likomba near Tiko, in southwestern Cameroon. Viang Mekala is an officer in the administrative unit that the accident took place. He said the driver couldn't?stabilize the truck when he experienced brake failure?while descending the hill. The vehicle then slammed into several cars and buildings before exploding. The tanker truck has been completely charred. Several other vehicles were also damaged. Mekala, a reporter at the time, said that a blaze had also destroyed tens of houses. A number of others were also injured and taken to...

During the pandemic, warehouse construction boomed. The 'Indirect Source Rules' are gaining renewed interest Local pollution can be addressed by ISRs By Carey L. Biron She said that since the pandemic everyone has started to order more, referring the boom in online retail. "We started seeing more trucks arrive and these warehouses start to rise." Jenkins stated that there are now half a dozen e-commerce stores in the densely-populated neighborhoods of Red Hook, including across the street from schools and parks. "These warehouses were built without consultation with residents" "They just appeared overnight", said Jenkins, the communications manager of Red...

Argentina, a global food supplier, is planning to boost its grain and mineral exports through privatization, and a modernization program of its railway network. Industry leaders claim that this will reduce freight costs in regions located far from ports by half. The first tender will be for the Belgrano Cargas, which runs the three biggest freight train lines in the country. The initiative, which will be launched in early 2019, could increase production of global commodities like soybeans and corn. It also includes copper and lithium. The project could also help transport sand from Vaca Muerta in Argentina's Southwest. The...

VTB CEO Andrei Kostin said in an interview that Russian banks were willing to restructure Russian Railways' debt, as long as their central bank did not increase the reserve requirements on these loans. The Russian government is examining different options to support Russian Railways. This company, which is the largest employer in the country, has accumulated a debt of 4 trillion roubles ($50.8 billion), according to a report on Nov. 25, VTB is the second largest Russian bank and Russian Railways' largest creditor. The bank's top managers participate in weekly government discussions on how to handle the debt. These meetings...

Yellow Corp. has settled with 14 pension funds that sought more than $7,4 billion in compensation from the trucking company. According to settlement documents filed in Delaware bankruptcy court on Wednesday, the pension plans have agreed to accept a reduced payment. This will put an end to years of litigation regarding Yellow's claims that it cannot pay. It will also allow Yellow's junior creditor to receive up to $7.4million from proceeds from its bankruptcy sales. Yellow closed in 2023 after a dispute between its employees and the union that represented them. It sold its assets, which included its truck fleet,...

Two people with knowledge of the matter say that hedge fund manager Bill Ackman plans to raise $5 billion to launch a closed-end U.S. fund at the same time as he plans on listing his hedge fund company, Pershing Square Capital Management. The billionaire investor who has cemented his reputation of an activist investor through his advocacy for companies such as Chipotle Mexican Restaurant and the railroad Canadian Pacific, now known as Canadian Pacific Kansas City is starting his new fund after years. He plans to give investors a share in his hedge fund. The closed-end funds, which were first...

Two people familiar with the situation said that the Russian government is looking at different options to support Russian Railways. The company, the largest employer in the country, has accumulated a debt of 4 trillion roubles ($50.8 billion). The state-owned Russian Railways employs 700,000 workers and has seen its revenues fall amid the sharp slowdown of Russia's wartime economy. Meanwhile, debt costs are on the rise, driven by interest rates that have reached their highest levels in 20 years. Two people, who requested anonymity because the subject was sensitive, said that Moscow had been discussing ways to help the railways...

The U.S. Comex exchange has approved warehouses that have copper inventories exceeding 400,000 short tonnes for the first. A favorable price arbitrage is continuing to attract metal into the United States. The London Metal Exchange's (LME) copper prices are around $10,760 for a metric ton. Comex copper prices, however, are 5 cents a pound, or about $11,023 metric tons. This means arbitrage shipments into the United States can be profitable. Comex copper stocks As of November 21, data from the exchange showed that there were 402,876 short tonnes (365,483 tons metric) - a record breaking number. The previous record was...

The U.S. Comex exchange has approved warehouses that have copper inventories exceeding 400,000 short tonnes for the first. A favorable price arbitrage is continuing to attract metal into the United States. The London Metal Exchange's (LME) copper prices are around $10,760 for a metric tonne, while Comex prices are 5 cents per lb or about $11,023 metric tons. This means arbitrage shipments into the United States can be profitable. Comex copper stocks As of November 21, data from the exchange showed that short tons were 402,876 (365,483 tons) compared to 399,458 in January 2003. This is a record-breaking increase after...

China Gas Holdings, a privately-controlled city gas distributor, has hired an ex-senior trader of the Chinese utility GCL Group as its head of global natural gas sales. Xiong Xin was the head of gas trading for GCL New Energy Holdings (a unit of GCL Holdings), a solar power company, until early 2024. He joined China Gas in Oct. Xiong has nearly a decade's worth of experience in trading at the state oil giant CNOOC, and privately owned Chinese gas company ENN, before he joined GCL. He now heads China Gas’ growing liquefied gas trading business, as well as liquefied petrol...

Amtrak, the U.S. passenger rail company, said Tuesday that it had set records for revenue and ridership in a single year. It also cut its losses by 15 percent to $598 millions and is aiming for profitability by 2028. Amtrak is a major effort in rehabilitating the infrastructure of the Northeast corridor between Boston, Massachusetts and Washington. It is expanding service throughout the United States by purchasing new Acela trains with higher speeds and replacing regional trains from next year. Amtrak reported that in the twelve months ending September 30, it had 34,5 million trips made by customers, an increase...

The State Department announced on Monday that the United States will impose visa restrictions on those in Nicaragua who are responsible for facilitating illegal immigration into the country. This includes the owners of travel agencies, tour operators, and transportation companies. According to a non-specific statement, the State Department has taken action to revoke some visas. The Department of Homeland Security said that "investigations show the entities represented by these individuals facilitated travel to Nicaragua. This was enabled by the Nicaraguan dictatorship’s migration policies, which are permissive and designed this way. These policies destabilize the area and encourage illegal immigration into...